Moderate Muslims and Christians in the West Bank and Gaza say they fear that Hamas, which scored a stunning victory in last month’s Palestinian elections, will apply a strict interpretation of Islamic law that will hinder religious freedom.
But so far, Hamas has not acted on promises to do so. And political analysts predict Hamas is unlikely to restrict the rights of religious minorities anytime soon, because an international backlash could hurt the movement.
Almost as soon as the Jan. 25 election results were in, Sheikh Mohammed Abu Teir, the No. 2 candidate on the Hamas election list, announced that the movement plans to introduce “Shariah,” the religious law of Islam.
“The No. 1 thing we will do is take Shariah as a source for legislation,” Abu Teir told The Globe and Mail newspaper.
The promise has set off alarms because non-Muslims face varying degrees of discrimination in countries where Shariah is stringently practiced. As is the case in Saudi Arabia, religious minorities may be legally prohibited from practicing their faith and denied citizenship. Even in Egypt, Jordan and Syria, which are less overtly devout, minorities are often denied the same educational and employment opportunities afforded to Muslims.
Some Palestinians see their rights threatened.
“There is much concern that they might use the political system to impose restrictions on religious freedom,” warned Mohammed Dajani, director of the American Studies Center at Al-Quds University.
Hamas, an acronym for the Islamic Resistance Movement, was founded during the late 1980s, during the first Palestinian intifada, or uprising. The movement, which advocates the destruction of Israel and Islamic domination of the world, is on the U.S. government’s list of terror organizations.
Founded on the strictest precepts of Islam, the movement is particularly popular among poorer Palestinians because it provides a wide range of social, educational and medical services not provided by the Palestinian Authority.
Palestinian Christians, who see themselves as a beleaguered minority within a minority, are watching Hamas’ actions particularly closely.
The Holy Land’s struggling Christian minority has dwindled dramatically over the decades, as those who could emigrate from the war-torn, economically depressed region packed their bags and moved to places such as the U.S., Canada and Australia. Today, the community comprises less than 2 percent of the Palestinian and Israeli populations, a number that could decrease even further if Hamas pursues a path of religious exclusion.